Written by Eli Kay
2013 is coming to an end and there are a lot of things we would love to relive, but many more that we wish would just stay in the past.
Good or bad, these headlines traveled the whole world, having a great impact in all of us.
These are the top 10 world news of 2013:
10: THE HORSE MEAT
We all received a huge shock when news across Europe reported of a scandal involving the distribution of meat to large companies. Meat that was supposed to be beef, was in fact horse meat. Some distributors who have been accused are Silvercrest, ABP Nenagh Dalepak and Freshlink distributed in stores like Tesco, Asda, Lidl, IKEA and Burger King. The European nation lived in panic!Sales of frozen hamburgers and ready made meals dropped considerably. As a result, all governments had to test their meat supply. You will never guess what the South African government found in meat that was considered beef. I was told that IKEA's meatballs were horsemeat, but if that was the case, they were delicious anyway...plus some communities eat horses, so...hold your horses! (see what I did there?)
9: THE NEW POPE
The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI was a big deal in the Catholic community, mostly because the last time that had happened was 1415!! He stated that the reasons were his age and maybe some health issues, but we all know what they said about conspiracies, gay cardinals, prostitution and child abuse. Personaly, I don't believe everything I hear, but what I know is that the 266th Pope, with the papal name Francis, was a great choice for the conclave. Originaly from the Americas, Pope Francis, so far, has lived up to his reputation as a kind, humble and wise leader.
8: THE CONSPIRATOR
Edward Snowden had become quite sexy for several months, after exposing a CIA surveillance program named PRISM. The Guardian published a collection of articles about the program that actually gathered "intelligence" from private phone conversations and text messages. You can imagine what happened next – Government statements, lawsuits and a big mess for the secret service. Snowden hid in Russia, waiting for asylum from any country and become a more realistic and less "dreamy" version of Ryan Reylold's character in "Safe House".
7: THE WAR THREAT
Maybe it was that bad, or maybe someone over reacted again, but when, under Kim Jong Un, North Korea created weapons of mass destruction and defied sanctions to launch nuclear tests, the world was informed of a threat of war. News played the same footage over and over, even movies were made! (see "Red Dawn")
6: THE CIVIL WAR
The Syrian Civil war on the other hand was very real and very bad. Fueled by the Arab Spring, Syrian protests have started a civil war with 120,000 people killed. The U.S was very close to be forced to commence action, but thankfuly peace talks have been scheduled for January 2014.
5: THE ROYAL BABY
We were waiting for this day for nine months, and when it finally happened, we realised what a big deal we make out of otherwise normal situations. The Duchess of Cambridge gave birth to an heir and managed to stay on top of the media subjects for months! The small boy carries a big title: His Royal Highness Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge. Let's hope he looks like his mother.
4: THE BOMBING
In my opinion, one of the most tragic days in 2013 was on Patriots' Day, when more than 23,000 runners participated in a marathon through historic Boston and witnessed the explosion of homemade bombs that two brothers set off near the finish line. Three people were killed and 264 injured. Within days, police tracked down the Tsarnaev brothers. One of whom died in a classic stand off gunfire. The survivor, in solitary confinement, faces trial in 2014.
3: THE CHEATERS
Perhaps receiving more attention than it should have, the case of Lance Armstrong's performance-enhancing drug use, started even before 2013. Since then, news involving athletes cheating, lying and killing were found in baseball, football and other sports. Olympian Oscar Pistorius and NFL player Aaron Hernandez were charged with murder. I guess this was the year of the athlete...
2: THE EQUALITY
One of my favourite news of 2013 was the same-sex marriage laws that the Supreme Court changed in June, opening the door for broader same-sex marriages and also equal compensation for surviving spouses. It was about time we moved forward.
1: THE SHUTDOWN
I was surprised when every reporter wanted to cover the most incredible story in history. Budget disputes and failure to communicate properly, lead to the closure of the federal government for 16 whole days! The media predicted chaos, financial loss, widespread panic, but nothing happened. Non-government corporations continued their lives and business, as if nothing had happened, and after too much criticism, the lawmakers joined again in voting to resume government, without actually fixing the health-care plan problem, which was the cause of the whole thing.
